Author's note: Holy cow guys, you are all so incredibly sweet! Thank you so much for your kindness and encouragement … I've been going through a rough time and seeing your comments and support have really lifted me up and made me so happy! I literally cried last night because I was so appreciative!
Seriously, words cannot express how thankful and grateful I am for you guys taking the time to read this and continuing to follow it, and being so patient with me these past few months- love and appreciate you all!
"Qian… what are you saying?"
Qian stood in the middle of Shoko's office, still wearing her formal clothes from the night prior. Her hair was in complete disarray, makeup visibly smeared and stained with dried tears, eyes swollen and puffy from lack of sleep. She hugged herself tightly as she struggled to breathe normally, her chest was throbbing in pain from continuously sobbing overnight, her lungs felt like they were punctured with needles. Her head was starting to hurt as well, pounding heavily with fatigue.
"I-I would like to resign, effective immediately." She repeated in a whisper, refusing to meet the gaze of the doctor.
"Qian, you… you clearly did not get any sleep last night." Shoko moved around her desk, gesturing for the girl to sit down. "Take a breath, explain to me why you suddenly want to quit."
Qian's lip quivered, but she had cried so much last night that she physiologically could no longer shed another tear. All that remained was the searing sensation in the back of her eyes.
Yet, she knew that she owed the woman an explanation, and forced herself to raise her head slightly, barely enough to meet her mentor's worried brown irises. She bit her lip, choosing to remain on her feet. "I-I recently found out that my family is in close association with the administration of the Jujutsu world. This whole time… me becoming full-time, me becoming involved in missions especially involving Gojo-sensei… it was all a ploy to distract him and find a way to subdue him." Qian covered her face, digging her fingers into her eyelids as her shoulders trembled in shame at the memory. "I am a terrible person and don't deserve to be here."
Shoko regarded the girl in bewilderment and concern, trying to quickly process the new information. She thought back to their first encounter- there was no way she was planted there at the right place, right time… all the manipulation must have happened after she started working here. "Qian, if what you say is true, and you didn't know… how is it your fault?"
"Because my family made sure to put me here… knowing that my existence would be burdensome to him, and beneficial for them." She bit back a sob, cradling her head in her hands. She recalled his painful expression, the betrayal in his eyes… "I hurt him. I dragged him down and broke his trust."
The brunette vehemently shook her head. "Qian, you can't think like that. You came here on your own. You being here may have been convenient for them and allowed them to pull some strings, but that doesn't make it your fault-"
"I refuse to be my family's pawn, and besides, there's no reason for me to be here after all this." Qian interjected with a final sigh, her hands falling back down to her sides. "I never did anything to help you, the team, the school… I was just a waste of space, pretending to be someone I never was."
Shoko's jaw dropped in mortification as she reached for the girl's shoulder. "You… you don't actually believe that-"
But Qian took a step back and dipped her head, bowing down respectfully towards the doctor. "I sincerely thank you for all the guidance and mentorship you've given me these past few months. I truly appreciate everything you've done for me." She gripped the fabric of her dress skirt tightly, her fingers quivering as she struggled to keep her voice even. "I've already packed up my belongings from the lab and left behind my notes. I hope you find someone useful who will be able to further progress with your research. Goodbye."
She immediately turned her heel. "Qian, wait-!" But the girl was already out the door, closing it behind her with a soft 'click' before Shoko could utter another word.
The doctor collapsed in her chair and gritted her teeth, running an exhausted hand over her brow. What in the world happened last night? She vaguely remembered her coworker had disappeared but had no idea what happened afterwards, having chosen to remain at the party to watch over the students. They were all seemingly having a good time. But her assistant mentioned his name… that bastard. Does he know something about this? What did he do to her?
She leapt to her feet to grab her lab coat off the hanger, preparing to storm over to the man's office and give him a thorough tongue-lashing, right when she heard a gentle knock on the door.
"Uh… Ieiri-sensei?" She raised her head to see Yuji poke his head through the entryway, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "You okay?"
"Oh, Yuji." She placed the coat back on the metal hook, rolling her shoulders back to face the teen as she cleared her throat. "What is it?"
"Isn't it time for my annual check-up?" He took out his phone and scratched his cheek. "At least I think it was, from the email you sent me last week."
"Oh, right." She massaged her temples as she recalled the string of emails that she had sent out to the students and faculty a couple days ago. She bit back a curse as she sighed, walking over to the boy and jerking a thumb at the chair behind her. "Alright, have a seat."
—-
Satoru was flipping through the pages of the newest mission report that Masamichi had given him that morning. He groaned, taking off his sunglasses to rub his eyes in exhaustion. Suffice to say, after the events of last night, he barely got any sleep.
He felt his phone vibrate. It was probably a text message from someone, but he was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to bother checking. The memory was all too fresh, he could still hear her brother's arrogant laugh, the harsh truth coming from his lips and shaking him to his core… the realization of everything between them being… a lie…
He crumpled the paper in his hand as he clenched his jaw. He felt angry, yes, but he also felt something else in his chest, a sharp painful squeeze seemed to envelope his heart as the girl's pleading gaze imprinted in his mind.
He ran a hand through his hair, gripping his scalp tightly as he glared at what remained of the paper in front of him. Wait, why was he even angry? He was used to betrayal- throughout his entire career, he's had to deal with it. First was within his own family, his relatives constantly fighting each other for power and succession, then it was with teammates who chose to follow the administration's way of order rather than his own. Even more so, it happened with his best friend.
It wasn't the first time… wouldn't be the last.
And yet… The page that was enclosed in his fist suddenly ignited into flames. With her, it… hurt. It hurt so much, and he wasn't sure why. It felt so different than when Suguru turned against him. He chuckled the burned remains of the sheet into the waste bin beside his desk. With a final sigh, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, not wanting to think any further about his conflicting emotions.
"Satoru." He immediately recognized his old teacher's voice and refused to open his eyes, choosing to feign sleep in case the man came to give him more work.
"I know you're awake and would ignore my text message. My office, now." He peeled an eye open to see Masamichi's broad back disappear down the hallway. He grumbled a curse under his breath, letting his chair fall back on all fours. He shoved his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose before following suit.
As he entered the principal's office, he was shocked to see a familiar, dark-haired man standing in the middle of the room. Zeng Tomioka checked his Rolex watch, seemingly impatient about something, before adjusting the cuff of his black suit. Satoru immediately clenched his jaw, stuffing his closed fists into his pockets to play nonchalance and ignore the man.
He turned to the principal, who seated himself behind his own desk. "You needed me?"
Zeng straightened his back upon seeing the sorcerer. "Where is she?"
Satoru bit back a growl, begrudgingly acknowledging the elder Tomioka. "Where is who?"
"Don't play dumb, it doesn't suit you." Zeng snarled before glancing back at his watch to check the time. "I have to get back to work so just answer my question."
Satoru tilted his chin down to glower at the man over the top rim of his sunglasses, his blue eyes glowing in irritation. "Who the hell are you-"
"My sister." The older Tomioka bared his teeth, the color of his irises flickering ominously. "She never came home last night, where are you hiding her?"
"What makes you think I would try to hide her from you?" Satoru retorted, tilting his nose away distastefully. "Especially since she's just another dog of the administration."
Suddenly. he was slammed into the wall, Zeng's eyes now silver and glowing in rage as he gripped his collar tightly. "DON'T CALL HER THAT." He roared in his face. "THAT'S MY SISTER."
"Alright, let's all just take a breath." Masamichi appeared between them, placing a hand on each shoulder to pull them apart. "Tomioka-san, when was the last time you saw here?"
"When I… was here last night." Zeng admitted, his irises flickered back to green. He roughly shoved the sorcerer away from him as he released his hold. "She yelled at us to leave her alone and we did, thinking she needed space. But I was up all night, she never came back and her car is still parked at the hotel."
A rush of apprehension shot through his veins, but Satoru maintained his poker face. "She's probably staying at her friend's house- you know, the blonde girl."
"I already thought of that and contacted her- she says she hasn't seen her either." Zeng spat, crossing his arms.
"Principal Yaga?" Shoko appeared in the doorway, raising a quizzical brow upon seeing Zeng present in the room. "Apologies for the delay, I was finishing a physical exam when I got your text- but you asked for me? Is everything okay?"
"Shoko, have you seen Qian?" Masamichi turned to the doctor. "It seems that she's been missing since last night."
"I… did actually. Maybe a couple hours ago?" She regarded the two men solemnly. "She wasn't in good shape. I actually thought she went home?"
"No. it's only a fifteen minute drive from here to our house. I was just there and haven't seen her." Zeng ran both hands through his hair in exasperation, completely ruining his styled locks, his eyes growing more concerned. He sighed, covering his face with one hand. "This is all my fault. I did not want her to find out this way."
"Cut the crap." Satoru interjected, dusting off his collar where the man had grappled. "We all know that she was a knowing pawn in your plan. You did a really good job raising her to become an actress, honestly I never saw it coming."
Shoko snapped her head towards her old classmate. "Satoru, that was out of line-"
Zeng suddenly punched the desk, the wood splintering underneath his knuckles. "CAN YOU GET THE FUCK OVER YOURSELF?!" He shouted, raising his eyes to glower at the man. Upon finally meeting terse silence, he took in a breath, trying to calm his rage. "I never wanted this for her- I don't fucking know how, but by some weird twist of fate, she stumbled into your students fighting a cursed spirit on a mission one random day… and she decided to pursue down this path."
Satoru faltered, ruminating over his words as realization dawned on him. "But you used her to-"
"Yes. Okay? I admit it: I used my own fucking sister for the sake of the administration's mission." Zeng paced around the room, growing more and more frustrated with himself. "The elders found out that she was here and they knew you were getting in the way. They told me to get her to stop you, but I know she's too naive… she's always had too much faith in humanity and would never help our cause. So I figured out a way to have her become more involved with your team."
Satoru shook his head incredulously, refusing to believe his words. "But you ordered her to get in my way."
Zeng pinched the bridge of his nose, releasing an angry sigh. "Do you really fucking think that pure-hearted girl would listen to anyone telling her to do that?" He missed Satoru's eyes widening as he turned away, grounding his teeth together as he thought of his sister's gentle demeanor. "She's too fucking kind, let alone smart. She would immediately know something was up if I asked her to do anything manipulative."
Satoru clenched his eyes shut as Shoko took a step forward, her usual tired eyes now wide with disbelief and outrage. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!" She yelled, raising her hands incredulously. "How could you use your own sister?"
"Do you guys realize that more cursed spirits are being generated every single day, down to the hour?" Zeng countered, turning to meet the judgemental stare of the doctor with a challenging gaze of his own. "Clearly, whatever method you're doing of 'fighting it out', isn't fucking working. We at least came up with a way to end it all, but you kept getting in our way." He shot a glare towards Satoru, expecting him to argue. "You and your stupid ideals- you're too focused on your own 'vision' to see our bigger picture. We could've ended this once and for all, but no. You have to do things your way."
But the silver-haired man was silent, too occupied with his own inner turmoil.
"I-I just wanted to tell you that…I did try to talk to Ieiri-sensei, but when I broached the subject, she said that the administration found out about me being here a-and they want to make me a full-time employee." Qian gripped the hem of her long sweater tightly, forcing herself to raise her head and meet his eyes. "I-I took a lot of time to think about it and…I decided I wanted to stay."
She could have turned down the opportunity, especially after how he treated her. But she chose to stay.
He recalled the large bags she carried during their first mission.
"Well if you weren't SLEEPING the whole ride, you would've been able to eat some of Qian's food."
He quirked a brow. "What food?"
"U-Um…I-I have more if you want!" She quickly opened her luggage and took out the bento box, opening the lid to reveal more onigiri.
Satoru regarded them suspiciously, cautiously taking the box from her. "You made this?"
She nodded her head enthusiastically. "L-Last night! I promise it's fresh!"
She always made sure the team was okay and desperately tried to make herself useful in any possible way.
Going as far as… hurting herself… to protect his student, risking permanent damage from an experimental product, knowing that she alone was powerless and choosing to sacrifice herself instead.
"I said: she transformed into this.. monster… thing. Well, partially." Satoru explained. "Does she have some hidden cursed technique that I don't know about?"
"Ugh…I told her it was way too dangerous. I can't believe she used it."
"Used what?" He heard her sigh before frowning. "Shoko, what have you guys been doing?"
There was a pause before she finally spoke. "Qian was able to isolate some cells from whatever remained of the bodies we've been analyzing. She was only able to collect a small volume, and really only tested it on a single mouse model but… she must've injected herself with it."
And she did it again-
"Sensei!" He suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around his back, followed by the sound of a sickening crunch.
Would someone who was just taking orders risk their lives… not once… but twice?
The dark clouds in his mind began to fade away as the weight in his chest suddenly lifted, a newfound feeling of hope beginning to flood his heart.
"And now, she's gone." He was shaken out of his reverie upon hearing Zeng, whose voice was laced with remorse. "I never meant to hurt her."
Shoko groaned, massaging her forehead. "She has to be somewhere nearby if she's traveling by foot… unless she took a taxi, or an Uber… but where would she go? Especially in her current state…"
"W-When I have a lot on my mind, I come here to think."
Her words echoing in his ears, Satoru perked up as he recalled a familiar location. Would she be there? …Only one way to find out.
Without another word, he stormed out the door.
"Satoru?!" Masamichi called after him, but his old student had already disappeared.